A politician from Ecuador who was assassinated will run for president by his running companion.
After an event in Quito for his campaign, Fernando Villavicencio was shot three times in the head. Police claim that all suspects are from Colombia.
His Constructe party announced that Andrea Gonzalez would be their nominee for president.
The party also stated that selecting a vice presidential candidate for the August 20 election was in underway.
The capital’s Sunday presidential debate will feature Ms. Gonzalez, 36, whose career has primarily focused on environmental issues.
According to the party’s social media posts, “millions of Ecuadorians will accompany her in this purpose” and she will “guarantee the legacy” of Mr. Villavicencio.
According to the party, “the most trusted of those who have shared the struggles of comrade Fernando Villavicencio” will be the candidate for vice-presidency.
As he exited a public event in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, Mr. Villavicencio, 59, a former journalist and member of the national assembly, was shot three times in the head.
In a gunfight with the police, one attacker was killed while several others managed to flee.
His passing has shaken a country that, for the most part, has avoided the decades of drug-gang violence, cartel battles, and corruption that have plagued many of its neighbours. However, crime has dramatically increased recently due to the expansion of the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels.
Mr. Villavicencio was one of just a few candidates to claim ties between organised crime and government officials in Ecuador during his campaign, which concentrated on corruption and gangs.
His widow, Veronica Sarauz, stated during a news conference on Saturday that she held the government accountable for her husband’s passing.
His personal guards didn’t do their duty, according to the woman, and the state still needs to provide numerous explanations for all that occurred.
“I don’t want to believe they sold my husband to be killed in this notorious way,” she said.
Ms. Sarauz also expressed her disappointment that Ms. Gonzalez had been chosen to run for president in place of her husband.
Six Colombians who belonged to organised criminal organisations have reportedly been detained, according to Interior Minister Juan Zapata.
The FBI has been requested by Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso to assist in the investigation of Mr. Villavicencio’s death.
Meanwhile, three criminals from a maximum security prison in the port city of Guayaquil who were deemed to be very dangerous by Ecuadorian officials have been transferred.
Among them was Jose Adolfo Macias, or “Fito,” the head of one of Ecuador’s most important organised criminal organisations, from whom Mr. Villavicencio claimed he had received death threats.
Despite not being in the lead and polling in the centre of the pack, Mr. Villavicencio, a married father of five, was one of eight candidates in the first round of voting.
“This crime can’t go unpunished,” his sister Patricia Villavicencio remarked. There is no justice, no protection, and we are in pain with a damaged soul.